Maui’s Victorino Awarded First A.L. Gold Glove

Boston Red Sox right fielder Shane Victorino was awarded his fourth Gold Glove by Major League Baseball on Tuesday, Oct. 29. Photo by USAToday.com.

By Maui Now Staff

Shane Victorino won three straight Gold Gloves with the Philadelphia Phillies as a center fielder from 2008-2010.

On Tuesday, Oct. 29, the former St. Anthony High School standout won his first Gold Glove in the American League, and the first as a right fielder — for the Boston Red Sox, no less.

“More than anything I think the magnitude of moving to right field, the magnitude of playing in Fenway Park, this was a big surprise,” said Victorino in a joint press conference with second base teammate Dustin Pedroia, who was also awarded a Gold Glove, before Game 6 today.

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“I took it as a surprise about how everybody talked about how hard Fenway Park in right field was to play. I’ve always worked hard on my defense. And I’ve always taken pride in my defense, just like Dustin [Pedroia] has and the rest of this team, collectively. I think there’s a lot of other guys that are deserving of a Gold Glove.”

The award does not come without merit. Victorino posted a 25.0 Ultimate Zone Rating, tops among right fielders in the American League and second in all of baseball behind Gerardo Parra of the Diamondbacks (26.6). The Athletics’ Josh Reddick (16.4) and the Yankees’ Ichiro Suzuki (11.6), the other top right fielders in the league, were well behind Victorino by that metric, which calculates the number of runs a fielder saved as compared to an average defender at his position.